Replacing the heating battery in the apartment with their own hands

After moving to the purchased apartment, located in a house built in 1968 ("Khrushchev"), the question arose of replacing the old cast iron radiator with a new one. After long and painful doubts, we nevertheless came to the conclusion that there is no better option than a cast iron radiator, no, and if there is a new-fashioned, really high-quality non-Chinese bimetallic radiators, then the price is simply transcendental. Next, I'll tell you how to replace the heating battery in the apartment with your own hands.

We donated a new cast-iron radiator, which had lain for ten years in the garage, and it was necessary to paint it before installing it to give it an aesthetic look. Therefore, before calling the workers to assemble the new and dismantle the old radiator, I decided to start painting. That was how the new radiator looked like, which was stored for a long time in the garage.

A new battery is heavily rusty

First of all, we put a new battery on the pre-laid floor with oilcloth for protection. The work began with sanding a large sandpaper surface of the radiator. After the biggest rust growths were removed, I treated the radiator with a rust inhibitor Sanoks. I can say that it did not give a super effect, but the battery still got a more fresh look.

To begin with, the battery was treated for rust with

. The next step was to degrease the surface with ordinary solvent. . I just dipped the brush into the solvent and smeared the battery. It should be noted that such work must be carried out in a well-ventilated room, because the smell during this procedure is just awful.

Then heavy artillery was used - the solvent

The next step was to paint the radiator directly. For this was chosen paint for metal with rust "HAMMERITE" ("Hammerayt") with a hammer effect silver. They bought a can of 0.75 liters at a price of about 900 rubles. In general, it was planned to paint the battery in a golden color, but in the store the gold paint of this company was with some kind of green tint, and I did not like it. Although the golden battery in the interior looks very good.

Hammerite paint can be painted directly on rust

I painted with an ordinary brush. The paint lays perfectly, has a high hiding power. She practically does not smell. It dries quickly enough: after about 6 hours it does not stick.

In this photo, the battery is painted with one layer

I applied the next layer only on the second day. Incidentally, during the application of the second layer, this paint somehow did not fall so smoothly, as if it had become thicker. The cans of paint were enough for more than two layers, and about half of the volume remained.

The second layer is applied here

A day later I called for employees. For the work on the replacement of the radiator was paid 3000 rubles and 500 rubles for the discharge of the riser. Plus, I paid about 1,200 rubles for sanitary materials. The most expensive were cranes. In total, we spent about 5,600 rubles, taking into account the fact that we got the radiator for free. After the old radiator was dismantled by sawing with a grinder, one could see what a section of the old cast iron radiator looks like, which had not been changed for 48 years. It is almost completely clogged, and such a battery would hardly be well warmed in winter. There was no faucet on the old radiator with which it would be possible to somehow flush the battery through the hose without removing it.

The old radiator is heavily clogged

And this is how the new cast-iron radiator looks like after installation. There is a faucet for flushing, as well as two taps (top and bottom), which allow you to reduce and add the temperature of the heating battery.

A new radiator with a flushing tap

I hope that this information will come in handy. Good luck!

Video: instructions for replacing a cast iron radiator with a modern battery